National parks, natural beauty and a bit of Disney wonder! DISNEYLAND SECTION COMPLETED - Page 14 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.

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If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.

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Old 09-25-2011, 12:48 PM   #196
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Sorry about the sleep! I didn't realize they had changed the front! I am so glad that I have pictures of the old entrance! I have to agree that I like the old one much better! Can't wait to hear more!
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Old 09-25-2011, 12:57 PM   #197
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Great update and photos. Sorry you had such a rough night's sleep. Do you take sudafed for your sinuses? I don't travel without it - since it seems that the only think that seems to open mine up.
I swear by that stuff, but unfortunately with some of the other medication I'm on now, I can't take it any longer.
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Old 09-25-2011, 01:01 PM   #198
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Now I REALLY want to go - the pictures are great, and how cool that it opens up to so much, the least not being the park!
We actually have more points there (250) than either of our other two properties, thanks to great onboard incentives when we were in the Baltic last summer.
Have you tried a neti pot for your sinuses? I find it helps tremendously with the pressure.
Fun that Mark gets some birthday attention this trip.
I use Olbas oil and that helps so much.
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Old 09-25-2011, 03:21 PM   #199
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The GC hotel reminds me of the Wilderness Lodge! We may have to stay there if we ever make it to DL.
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Old 09-25-2011, 08:29 PM   #200
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Glad you were able to get some sleep on the flight, however I am sorry that your sinus issues did not make it as restful as you would have hoped. I just love how the first class chairs turn into beds...I must travel first class once in my life, it is on my list

Sorry there was such a long wait at customs definitely not the thing you look forward to after a 12 hour flight. I love the look of the GC - glad you had a room close to the lobby, the room is beautiful.

Hope that the sinuses clear up a bit so that you can get some better sleep and enjoy your time. I have to agree when I first saw the signs for DCA I was not impressed either - I think the old sign was much more original, gave the park its own individual identity instead of copying over from DHS.
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Old 09-26-2011, 12:46 AM   #201
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I love the look of the Grand Californian--it does remind me of the Wilderness Lodge, but is somehow different.
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Old 09-26-2011, 01:33 AM   #202
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The GC hotel reminds me of the Wilderness Lodge! We may have to stay there if we ever make it to DL.
It is very similar and, if my memory's correct, I believe it was the same architect?
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Old 09-26-2011, 01:44 AM   #203
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Saturday 27 August – part two: there’s no line for Mickey?

From there, we walked across Town Square, getting some photos...



Then Mark spotted Mickey was out greeting people, so we got in line and saw him literally about three minutes later. Unbelievable. We were already very impressed by how quiet the park was.



We walked up Main Street, getting lots more photos. I don’t know if it was just me, but there seemed to be many more stars and stripes out than I’m used to seeing at Disney World?



When we got to the hub, we had to go and get some traditional photos of the Partners statue, with the tiny castle behind. That is the only real letdown in Disneyland. You get to the end of Main Street and then you’re kind of like “is that it?” when you see the castle, as it’s so small, compared to Disney World.



We also got some Photopass pictures taken there and found some neat theming too.

We wandered across towards the Snow White Grotto and I saw another nice photo opportunity, so we grabbed a nearby Cast Member and got her to take a photo of us.



From here, you get some nice and very unusual shots of the castle and of course the Grotto.



Photos done, we headed into Tomorrowland, seeing a moving bench on the way... I will admit I did a double take when I saw that!



We both thought that Tomorrowland looked different, but it could be our memories playing tricks on us. After all, now all the parks start to merge a bit into one....



Next: how many rides in how long?
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Old 09-26-2011, 04:12 AM   #204
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Wow, when you said the park was empty you weren't kidding! Almost looks eerie. Definitely more flags and banners on Main St than at MK.
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Old 09-26-2011, 06:16 AM   #205
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Are you sure you weren't on some sort of "Entry to the Park Before the Rest of the Guests Are Allowed In" VIP tour? I can't believe how empty it was!
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Old 09-26-2011, 07:49 AM   #206
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wow, some lovely photos, but I can not believe how small the castle is
but I would say it is very cute
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Old 09-26-2011, 10:46 AM   #207
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Great photos!
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Old 09-26-2011, 10:48 AM   #208
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Wow, it looks SOOOOO empty! Where were all the people? Lucky, though, as it does make for easier picture taking!
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Old 09-26-2011, 11:05 AM   #209
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All caught up now. The hotel is gorgeous & the room...wow! That bathroom alone has me wanting to stay there. Love the photos from DL...and you're right about that castle. I agree that it doesn't have the wow factor that Cinderella's does at DW.
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Old 09-26-2011, 12:01 PM   #210
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How rare it is to see the park so empty! Since I've never stayed on property, I've never seen the park so empty (aside from a few times I stayed until closing!).
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